CS 332: Algorithms

Introduction
Proof By Induction
Asymptotic notation

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12/08/21
 The Course

• Purpose: a rigorous introduction to the design and

analysis of algorithms
 Not a lab or programming course
 Not a math course, either
• Textbook: Introduction to Algorithms, Cormen,
Leiserson, Rivest, Stein
 The “Big White Book”
 Second edition: now “Smaller Green Book”
 An excellent reference you should own

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 The Course

• Instructor: David Luebke

 luebke@cs.virginia.edu
 Office: Olsson 219
 Office hours: 2-3 Monday, 10-11 Thursday
• TA: Pavel Sorokin
 Office hours and location TBA

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 The Course

• Grading policy:
 Homework: 30%
 Exam 1: 15%
 Exam 2: 15%
 Final: 35%
 Participation: 5%

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 The Course

• Prerequisites:
 CS 202 w/ grade of C- or better
 CS 216 w/ grade of C- or better
 CS 302 recommended but not required
o Who has not taken CS 302?

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 The Course

• Format
 Three lectures/week
 Homework most weeks
o Problem sets
o Maybe occasional programming assignments
 Two tests + final exam

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 Review: Induction

• Suppose
 S(k) is true for fixed constant k
o Often k = 0
 S(n)  S(n+1) for all n >= k
• Then S(n) is true for all n >= k

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 Proof By Induction

• Claim:S(n) is true for all n >= k

• Basis:
 Show formula is true when n = k
• Inductive hypothesis:
 Assume formula is true for an arbitrary n
• Step:
 Show that formula is then true for n+1

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 Induction Example:
Gaussian Closed Form
• Prove 1 + 2 + 3 + … + n = n(n+1) / 2
 Basis:
o If n = 0, then 0 = 0(0+1) / 2
 Inductive hypothesis:
o Assume 1 + 2 + 3 + … + n = n(n+1) / 2
 Step (show true for n+1):
1 + 2 + … + n + n+1 = (1 + 2 + …+ n) + (n+1)
= n(n+1)/2 + n+1 = [n(n+1) + 2(n+1)]/2
= (n+1)(n+2)/2 = (n+1)(n+1 + 1) / 2

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 Induction Example:
Geometric Closed Form
• Prove a0 + a1 + … + an = (an+1 - 1)/(a - 1) for all
a1
 Basis: show that a0 = (a0+1 - 1)/(a - 1)
a0 = 1 = (a1 - 1)/(a - 1)
 Inductive hypothesis:
o Assume a0 + a1 + … + an = (an+1 - 1)/(a - 1)
 Step (show true for n+1):
a0 + a1 + … + an+1 = a0 + a1 + … + an + an+1
= (an+1 - 1)/(a - 1) + an+1 = (an+1+1 - 1)/(a - 1)

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 Induction
• We’ve been using weak induction
• Strong induction also holds
 Basis: show S(0)
 Hypothesis: assume S(k) holds for arbitrary k <= n
 Step: Show S(n+1) follows
• Another variation:
 Basis: show S(0), S(1)
 Hypothesis: assume S(n) and S(n+1) are true
 Step: show S(n+2) follows

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 Asymptotic Performance

• In this course, we care most about asymptotic

performance
 How does the algorithm behave as the problem
size gets very large?
o Running time
o Memory/storage requirements
o Bandwidth/power requirements/logic gates/etc.

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 Asymptotic Notation

• By now you should have an intuitive feel for

asymptotic (big-O) notation:
 What does O(n) running time mean? O(n2)?
O(n lg n)?
 How does asymptotic running time relate to
asymptotic memory usage?
• Our first task is to define this notation more
formally and completely

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 Analysis of Algorithms
• Analysis is performed with respect to a computational
model
• We will usually use a generic uniprocessor random-
access machine (RAM)
 All memory equally expensive to access
 No concurrent operations
 All reasonable instructions take unit time
o Except, of course, function calls
 Constant word size
o Unless we are explicitly manipulating bits

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 Input Size

• Time and space complexity

 This is generally a function of the input size
o E.g., sorting, multiplication
 How we characterize input size depends:
o Sorting: number of input items
o Multiplication: total number of bits
o Graph algorithms: number of nodes & edges
o Etc

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 Running Time

• Number of primitive steps that are executed

 Except for time of executing a function call most
statements roughly require the same amount of
time
oy=m*x+b
o c = 5 / 9 * (t - 32 )
o z = f(x) + g(y)
• We can be more exact if need be

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 Analysis

• Worst case
 Provides an upper bound on running time
 An absolute guarantee
• Average case
 Provides the expected running time
 Very useful, but treat with care: what is “average”?
o Random (equally likely) inputs
o Real-life inputs

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 The End

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